Bill Esterson
Main Page: Bill Esterson (Labour - Sefton Central)(11 years, 9 months ago)
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Mr Howarth
I will give way first to my hon. Friend the Member for Sefton Central (Bill Esterson)—or is it Sefton East?
Bill Esterson (Sefton Central) (Lab)
It is Sefton Central. My right hon. Friend used to represent part of Sefton Central when his constituency was Knowsley North and Sefton East.
Sefton council faces a total cut of £116 million for the period 2011 to 2014, and like Knowsley council it has no choice other than to cut services, including the library service in Aintree village, which is relied upon by many elderly and vulnerable people. The Government said that councils should resolve these problems by use of reserves. I am sure that my right hon. Friend will agree that that is an incredibly short-sighted approach, as those reserves can only be used on one occasion and once they are gone they are gone.
